Stephen Bates | |
|---|---|
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Sheriff_Stephen_Bates_in_photo_from_the_Boston_Herald,_December_1905.jpg) Stephen Bates in 1905 | |
| Sheriff of Vergennes, Vermont | |
| In office 1879–1905 | |
| In office 1907 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1842 Shirley, Virginia, US |
| Died | June 10, 1907 (aged 64–65) Vergennes, Vermont, US |
| Political party | Republican |
| Occupation | Sheriff |
Stephen Bates (1842 – June 10, 1907) was an American law enforcement officer who served as sheriff and police chief of the city of Vergennes, Vermont, for 25 years between 1879 and 1907. He was the first Black chief law enforcement officer in Vermont and the only one for 140 years, until 2020. Additionally, Bates was almost certainly the first Black sheriff elected outside the Reconstruction-era South.